It's extremely disheartening to see how far Gradey Dick has come up to this point in his NBA career and Toronto Raptors tenure. For the handful of times I find myself writing about the positive developments in the 22-year-old former Kansas standout's journey, I feel like it's offset by the countless examples of his costly slip-ups and inconsistent play. And as tough love as it might be to lay down the law with a guy who is still relatively young in his NBA career and figuring things out, I think that Dick's shortcomings are all the more magnified by the tumultuous path of this Raptors core.
Recently, I wrote about how the Raptors might be putting too much on the plate of Gradey Dick by forcing his hand into becoming a player archetype he just isn't cut out to be. Sure, Dick has shown some promise as a cutter, and I've heard it myself from Raptors assistant coach James Wade, who emphasized how they prioritize getting those looks for guys like Dick, as well as Ja'Kobe Walter, Ochai Agbaji, and even RJ Barrett.
But I also know how much the Raptors' system — especially from the mouth of head coach Darko Rajakovic himself — emphasizes that it's essential for a guy like Dick to become a crafty creator, passer, and solid defender, on top of already being touted as a stout three-point threat. But, as I discussed in that piece — and as I revisit here in another — the three-point shot is just not a signature weapon for Gradey Dick whatsoever, and that is supposed to be his calling card.
In his December sample size (at the time of writing), Dick's shooting splits look very subpar: 37.5 percent field goal shooting and 29.6 percent from beyond the arc. Let's just look at his last two games for the Raptors against the Heat and Wizards, respectively.
Patience runs low for Gradey Dick on the Raptors
In Miami, Dick would suit up for 11:53 of playing time, scoring two points off free throws, going 0-for-4 from the floor — including 0-for-3 from deep — one rebound, one assist, two steals, and holding Toronto's only negative plus/minus on the night at -8. In those attempts to draw up a three-point shot, Dick tried two off the catch-and-shoot and one off the dribble in transition, but to no avail. They were great looks too and non-contested shots that should go down for Dick, but he's just struggling to find the rhythm.
He was largely outshined by sniper Jamison Battle, who played 15:24, making the most of his opportunity with 11 points on perfect field goal shooting, including 3-for-3 from deep, two rebounds, one assist, and two steals. For the Raptors, at least, they scraped by in South Beach with a 112-91 victory. However, they were then absolutely run through in a stunning defeat to the Wizards, 117-138 on Boxing Day, after a horrendous fourth-quarter collapse. In that affair, Dick got 18:28 of playing time, during which he scored five points, grabbed four rebounds, dished out three assists, and recorded one steal and one block.
As much as you could argue against box score watching and raise the point that there's more to NBA talent than the pure numbers suggest — a la Jamal Shead — I feel that sentiment doesn’t quite apply to Gradey Dick here. Again, it’s not like Dick can impact the game with his passing, defense, etc. He’s really out there to be a boost of offensive firepower, and for one reason or another, he’s just too inconsistent and unpredictable to justify the continuous minutes he's given.
Either the metronome is ticking away on his chance to still be a rotation player, or Dick is on pace to be used as a trade asset in the Raptors' potential future plans.